Amazon introduces latest Kindle: Paperwhite

One of the online retailer's newest devices, called the Kindle Paperwhite, has a higher resolution than the company's previous e-readers. Read more

Dave Rosenthal

Amazon Kindle">Amazon continued today to refine and extend its line of Kindle e-readers, with a new model called the Paperwhite, which is back-lit and has a higher resolution than its previous e-readers.

Touting it as the "most advanced e-reader ever constructed," Amazon said the Paperwhite has 62 percent more pixels, higher contrast, a built-in front light and up to eight weeks of battery life. Prices range from $119 to $179.

“Paperwhite is the Kindle we’ve always wanted to build — the technology didn’t exist to build a display with this level of contrast, resolution, brightness and battery life, so our engineers invented it,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement.

The Paperwhite also has a feature that sounds cool -- and a bit scary. Called "Time to Read," it helps readers know how long it will take to finish a chapter or book. According to Amazon, "This feature is smart — it personalizes the time for each customer based on their reading speed and is constantly updated as the reader’s speed and habits change. With Time to Read, it’s never been easier to decide when to start a new chapter or finish the chapter you’re reading."

Interesting concept -- and one that may keep me from falling asleep with an e-book on my chest. But as one of my colleagues said, "I hate it when my e-reader is smarter than I am."